Small businesses should get extra help

When developers are granted planned permission, they agree to pay towards a Community Infrastructure Levy to improve the city.

The Lib Dems are now calling for 10 percent of this money to be ring fenced and spent on any schemes which help businesses - including providing parking spaces, technical hubs for start-up companies or shared office spaces.

Coun Adam Hanrahan, Shadow Cabinet Member for Finance, said: “We unashamedly support the small businesses of this city and are prepared to put money in place to support them.

“They drive our local economy, create jobs and give our city the vibrant feel which makes it unique. We would ring fence money for use specifically in creating infrastructure to support our small businesses.

“Given that one of the ways for the council to raise money is through business rates, it’s important that we help to grow our businesses in the city.”

The Greens would like to impose a “night-time levy” on big businesses which would see them contribute money towards more police and street cleaners. And they would like to see funding for an extra eight Police Community Safety Officers to make people feel safer.

Green Councillor Douglas Johnson said: “We support the work of officers and businesses in the night-time economy and would develop proposals around a night-time levy scheme to offer more policing and street cleaning to ensure high-value businesses make an appropriate contribution to social costs. In addition, we would fund an extra eight Police Community Safety Officers to make people feel safer.”